Albany, N.Y. – March 9 , 2023 – The Office for People With Developmental Disabilities today announced that New York State has been awarded a new technical assistance grant by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) through the National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) to increase competitive integrated employment (CIE) opportunities for people with disabilities, including those with developmental disabilities. The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) will serve as the lead state agency for the grant, in collaboration with the Office of Mental Health (OMH), the NYS Department of Labor (DOL), the NYS State Education Department’s (SED) Office of Adult Career & Continuing Education Services (ACCES-VR) and Office of Special Education, and NYS Chief Disability Officer Kim Hill. New York State was one of only 11 states to receive the grant.
“Many people with disabilities need and want employment to support themselves and their families and to enrich their lives overall,” said Kerri E. Neifeld, Commissioner of the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities. “It is incredibly exciting to have been chosen for this grant and to be given the opportunity to receive technical assistance to complement all that we’re already doing to help make employment a reality for more people with developmental disabilities.”
The state agencies involved in the grant all share the common goal of helping an estimated one million New Yorkers with disabilities achieve competitive integrated employment. The grant seeks to algin the agencies’ best employment practices under New York’s shared Employment First vision that increases employment opportunities and outcomes. Working together, the agencies will identify areas of overlap where they can collaboratively create opportunities to assist people with disabilities to achieve their employment goals and reinvigorate New York’s Employment First vision. The technical assistance initiative will provide intensive policy consulting, capacity building, and ongoing mentoring to support New York’s cross-agency effort to increase competitive employment for people with disabilities.
“As New York State’s first Chief Disability Officer, I am excited to work with the many agency partners that are already making an impact on furthering employment opportunities for New Yorkers with disabilities,” said Kim Hill Ridley. “Combining these efforts will help to streamline this process and ensure that people have access to the supports they need to achieve competitive integrated employment.”
“Employment plays a critical role in the recovery process for people living with mental illness,” said OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan. “In addition to enhancing a sense of purpose and self-worth, employment helps people achieve goals, learn new skills and make new friends. Unfortunately, people with mental illness often face roadblocks that can prevent them from obtaining meaningful employment. This technical assistance grant will allow us to help more people with mental illness find and keep a job, which will improve health outcomes.”
"This grant will allow New York State to build on its commitment to expand career opportunities for individuals with disabilities and ensure that everyone can reach their full potential,” said New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. “In collaboration with our agency partners, we can create a more inclusive economy that benefits and welcomes everyone.”
Board of Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said, “When it comes to obtaining employment, people with disabilities face a multitude of long-standing, systemic barriers. By working with our partner state agencies, we are able to develop sustainable solutions that create a more equitable and diverse workforce in our state. Engagement with the U.S. Department of Labor will prove to be an invaluable asset throughout this process, and I thank them for their efforts on this important initiative.”
State Education Department Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “Individuals with disabilities have so much to contribute to our state’s workforce. By creating opportunities for a seamless transition of students with disabilities from school directly into careers we can diversify our workforce and provide a pathway to meaningful careers. Collaboration and teamwork are vital to these efforts and I look forward to working with our partners at both the national and state level to achieve our common goal of empowering individuals with disabilities while bolstering our economy and workforce.”
This technical assistance initiative builds upon the significant investments the state has already made under the Hochul administration to make New York a state of opportunity for all New Yorkers, including people with disabilities. This grant comes on top of the almost $350 million over several years that Governor Hochul allocated to build New York’s workforce with approximately $30 million specifically dedicated to improving employment outcomes for people with developmental disabilities. It also builds upon the $11.1 million in federal funding that Governor Hochul announced in 2021 to expand the successful network of Disability Resource Coordinators (DRCs) in the Empire State.
The technical assistance grant was announced on January 13, 2023 and will run through August 31, 2023. ODEP has contracted with Economic Systems Inc. of Falls Church, Virginia, to manage, support and coordinate the NEON initiative. For questions about the technical assistance grant contact [email protected]